As technology has increased in the recent past, and as the use of servers has become more prevalent, there has arisen a need to provide data centers for storing such electronic components. Such components give off a great deal of heat, and it is preferably to ensure that these electronic components do not overheat. The failure of a single electronic component, such as a network server, for example, may cause the shutdown of an entire business. Accordingly, it is desirable to ensure that these electronic components do not overheat.
In addition humidity control is generally required to reduce the likelihood of short circuiting and static electricity which can cause damage to the electronic components. As these computer systems have a direct bearing on the company's well being, fire detection, non-destructive fire suppression and reliable stable power are essential to ensure continuous operation and availability of these systems. A tier rating system has been developed to determine the level of reliability and availability of the support systems. Tier #1, for example, is the lowest level of reliability and Tier #4, for example, is the highest level of reliability. In order for a system to be rated at a Tier #4 level, the cooling systems must have two independent cooling systems and two power systems. Those skilled in the art understand this arrangement as 2N. An issue has, however, arisen regarding the power consumption required to support and operates these systems, and the desire to have a more energy efficient system, instead of the traditional approaches currently being utilized.
A traditional approach to addressing these requirements is use of an open architecture system. Such open architecture systems attempt to build a vapor sealed, sound proof and secure room for housing the electronic components. Once such a room has been constructed, then the addition of fire detection and suppression, environmental control systems and power distribution are added to provide the proper environment for the electronic components, as well as power to be supplied to all of the electronic components. Such construction, however, may be costly, and may not even be possible depending on the age of the building within which it is to be constructed. As computer systems continue to evolve, the construction costs to accommodate these changes may be extensive and repetitive.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2007/0030650 by Madara et al. discloses a cooling system and associated cabinet for electronic equipment and, optionally, a backup ventilation system for cooling related failures. The system disclosed in Madara et al. '650 includes a high capacity closed loop refrigeration system in a modified cabinet, while accommodating standard sized computer equipment. Further, the system provides directed heat removal by altering typical airflow paths within the cabinet. The backup ventilation system is powered by auxiliary power in the case of power failure and uses the same fan for ventilation as is used for cooling. This system, however, may be cumbersome in that it may require at least three portions to be operational, i.e., a first portion to support the equipment, a second portion to enclose a portion of the refrigeration system, and a third portion to enclose a condenser. This system discharges warmed air into the room in which it is positioned requiring additional cooling equipment to remove the warm air from the room within which it is positioned. Further, a system such as disclosed in Madara et al. '605 is not expandable to accommodate additional electronic components. The system also fails to provide fire protection and suppression to extinguish a fire within a containment area, and has limited space available for electronic equipment to be stored therein. The Madara et al. '605 system also requires engaging in a lengthy procedure to service the system with the doors open. Such a system is typically limited to a Tier #3 rating, as discussed above, as it is not capable of providing two independent cooling systems.
U.S. Published Patent Application No. 20040132398 by Sharp et al. discloses an integrated, stand-alone cabinet or group of cabinets for supporting electronic equipment. The cabinet contains a liquid cooling system, an airflow distribution device, a fire suppression system, an uninterruptible power supply system, a power quality management system, a cabinet remote monitoring and control system, a remote control and management system for the electronic equipment contained within the cabinets, an EMC/RFI/EMI containment and filter system, and an acoustic noise control system. The Sharp et al. '398 system, however, is limited to chilled water systems and may not meet fire suppression codes. Additionally, this detection system does not provide shutdown controls for the cooling and/or uninterruptible power systems as required by local fire codes. The Sharp et al. '398 system also fails to provide an interface to the building fire system as required by most fire codes. This system is also dependent on an external building chilled water supply and does not provide secondary backup ventilation. Without such backup ventilation, the internal temperature may rise rapidly resulting in computer shutdown due to excessively high temperatures within the containment area. Service of the cooling systems may require shutdown of the respective computer equipment within the containment area. This system also is typically limited to a Tier #3 rating, as discussed above, as it is not capable of providing two independent cooling systems.
Accordingly, improvement is needed to containment systems for containing electronic components.